CIRCULAR  OF  THE  CITY  COUNCIL 


ON 


RETRENCHMENT, 


AND 


?%SS 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONERS 


OF    TICK 


ORPHAN    HOUSE. 


CHARLESTON  : 
Stk.vm-Fuwkk  Presses  oe  Evans  &  Cogswelt,,  No.  3  Broad  Street. 

1801. 


CIRCULAR 


OF   THE 


CITY     OOLxnTCIL 


OK 


RETRENCHMENT, 


AND 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONERS 


• 

OF   THE 


ORPHAN    HOUSE. 


CHAELBSTON : 

STEAM-POWER  PRESSES  OF  EVANS  &  COGSWELL, 
No.  3  Broad  and  103  East  Bay  Street. 

1861. 


Charleston,  Aug.  7th,  1861. 

To  the  Chairman  and  Board  of 

Commissioners  of  the  Orphan  House : 

Gentlemen:  At  a  regular  meeting  of  the  City  Council,  held  on  the 
16th  July,  it  was  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Retrenchment  and  Relief, 
to  inquire  and  report  in  what  manner  the  Corporation's  expenses  can  be 
reduced  to  meet  the  necessities,  and  relieve  as  much  as  possible  the  burden 
of  Tax  Payers  while  the  country  is  in  a  state  of  war. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Committee,  the  Chairman  was  instructed  to  address 
a  circular  to  all  the  different  Boards  of  the  City,  respectfully  asking  of  them 
to  take  the  matter  into  consideration,  and  report  if  any  reduction  of  ex- 
penditures in  the  different  departments  of  the  Institution  under  their 
charge  can  be  made,  and  in  what  manner  it  can  be  accomplished. 

The  Committee  are  confident  that  there  are  none  in  our  community  who 
will  more  readily  and  cheerfully  co-operate  with  the  City  Council  in  this 
desirable  object  than  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  Orphan  House. 

An  early  report  to  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  will  be  duly  appre- 
ciated. 

Very  respectfully, 

Signed  E.  W.  EDGERTON, 

Chairman. 


0— 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hil 


http://archive.org/details/circularofcitycoOOchar 


REPOET. 


The  Committee  on  Betrenchment  and  Eelief  who  were  in- 
structed by  resolution  of  Council  to  inquire  and  report  what 
corporation  expenses,  if  any,  can  be  reduced,  beg  leave  to  make 
the  following  report : 

The  committee  deemed  it  proper  in  the  beginning  of  their 
inquiries  to  address  a  circular  to  each  of  the  Boards  of  Com- 
missioners of  the  different  Institutions  of  the  city,  asking  their 
co-operation  in  the  desirable  -object  that  Council  had  in  view, 
and  if  any  reduction  in  expenses  could  be  made  in  the  institu- 
tions under  their  charge,  in  what  manner  it  could  be  accom- 
plished. 

As  the  report  from  the  several  Boards  of  Commissioners  in 
reply  to  the  communication  from  the  committee  are  of  much 
interest,  not  only  to  the  City  Council  but  to  the  citizens  at 
large,  they  are  made  a  part  of  this  report. 

[Extract  from  the  Minutes  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of  the  Orphan  House 
September  1,  1861.] 

Resolved  unanimously,  That  the  report  of  the  Committee  on 
-Retrenchment,  to  whom  was  referred  the  communication  from 
E.  W.  Edgerton,  Esq.,  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Council, 
dated  7th  August  last,  be  adopted,  and  that  the  chairman  be 
requested  to  transmit  the  same  to  said  committee  as  a  reply  to 
their  communication. 

Orphan  House,  Charleston,  September  10,  1861. 

E.  W.  Edgerton,  Esq.,  Chairman  of  Committee 

on  Retrenchment  and  Relief: 
Dear  Sir  :  In  obedience  to  the  foregoing  resolution,  1  have 
now  the  honor  to  enclose  the  report  referred  to  therein,  which  I 


6 

trust  will  be  found  to  embrace  all  the  information  sought  by 
your  note  of  7th  ult.     "With  great  respect,  your  obedient, 

¥M.  C.  BEE,   Chairman  pro  tern. 

The  Committee  on  Retrenchment,  to  whom  was  referred  the 
letter  transmitted  by  the  City  Council,  soliciting  a  special  inves- 
tigation hy  the  Commissioners  of  the  Orphan  House  into  its 
economics,  in  order  to  discover  whether  it  be  not  possible,  by  a 
more  rigid  economy,  to  lessen  the  burthen  of  its  expense  to  the 
public,  and  to  return  an  answer  at  their  earliest  convenience, 
beg  leave  to  state  that,  duly  impressed  with  the  importance 
of  the  inquiry,  they  have  endeavored  to  fulfil  the  duty  which 
has  been  assigned  them. 

For  the  more  minute  examination  of  the  subject  they  have 
considered  it  under  three  heads,  viz :  Service,  Food  and  Eaiment, 
as  the  expenses  of  the  establishment  will  be  found  arrayed 
mainly  under  these. 

The  Institution  now  consists  of  three  hundred  and  sixtjr 
orphans,  one  steward  and  family,  one  matron  and  family,  one 
principal  of  the  school  and  eight  teachers  and  assistants,  three 
dependants,  nine  nurses  and  one  hospital  nurse  and  assistant 
nurse,  two  assistant  seamstresses,  eight  washers,  two  cooks, 
one  engineer,  and  four  servants — making  an  entire  population 
of  four  hundred  and  seven  persons.  The  cost  of  the  whole 
establishment  for  1860,  as  charged  by  the  city  treasurer,  is 
134,784  18,  and  for  1861,  .$35,078  19— though  the  actual  cost  to 
the  city  is  only  about  $25,000;  a  uniformity  of  expenditure 
which  of  itself  bespeaks  economy. 

The  first  question  to  be  answered  then  is,  can  any  of  this  ser- 
vice be  dispensed  with  ?  Let  us  put  each  in  its  place  and  see. 
There  is  one  male  officer*  for  the  entire  supervision,  discipline 
and  provisioning  of  the  whole ;  and  one  matron  for  general  man- 
agement and  direction  ;  these  are,  of  course,  essential.  There 
are  in  the  school  one  principal,  and  eight  teachers  and  assistants, 
for  three  hundred  and  thirty  pupils ;  being  one  teacher  to  about 
forty  children;  and  their  united  salaries  do  not  amount  to 
§2,000 ;  giving  a  tuition  cost  of  about  $6  for  each  pupil  per 
year.  When  it  is  considered  that  this  is  the  best  school  of  its  j£f ' 
kind  in  the  Confederacy,  and  the  cheapest  in  dollars  and  cents,  ^*& 
it  becomes  us  to  be  satisfied,  and  to  endeavor  to  preserve  it  as 
it  is.     One  officer  and  two  assistants  direct  and  arrange  all  the 


work  Of  the  sewing  department;  teach  over  one  hundred  little 
girls  from  seven  to  thirteen  years  of  age  to  sew,  and  inci- 
dentally to  make  and  mark  (with  the  occasional  aid  of  a  cutter 
and  other  assistants,  when  needed  for  the  heavy  suits  of  the 
larger  boys)  about  eight  thousand  garments  of  various  sorts, 
inclusive  of  bed  and  table  linen,  towels,  the  trimming  of  hats, 
and  the  innumerable  repairs  and  jobs  always  necessary  in  such 
a  family.  It  does  not  seem  then  that  any  retrenchment  can  be 
made  in  this  department  of  our  expenditures. 

But  one  nurse  is  allowed  to  a  dormitory,  and  she  is  respon- 
sible for  its  order,  and  for  the  care  of  from  thirty  to  forty-five 
children;  is  required  to  attend  upon  them  at  meals  and  at  all 
times  and  occasions;  to  be  with  them  at  night;  to  mend  their 
clothes  and  to  take  charge  of  their  wardrobes  generally.  They 
are  thus  employed  by  night  and  by  day,  and  no  one  of  them, 
accordingly,  can  be  spared. 

The  fourth  officer  directs  the  operations  of  the  laundry,  and 
with  the  aid  of  eight  washers,  and  the  required  machinery,  re- 
ceives, washes,  irons,  assorts  and  returns  punctually  and  pro- 
perly, four  thousand  seven  hundred,  or  five  thousand  pieces 
weekly,  or  fifty  dozen,  or  six  hundred  pieces,  to  the  hand.  It 
may  be  doubted  if  any  laundry  in  the  country  can  show  better 
results,  and  at  less  cost,  than  this. 

One  cook  prepares  all  the  food  for  three  hundred  and  sixty 
children,  and  another  for  the  rest  of  the  household,  inclusive  of 
the  sick.  One  engineer  directs  all  the  machinery  and  mechan- 
ical operations  of  the  house;  and  one  porter,  acting  also  as 
gardener,  takes  charge  of  the  gate,  garden,  cemetery  and 
grounds  generally.  These  are  all  demanded  by  the  positive 
necessities  of  the  Institution,  and,  with  the  physician's  salary, 
cost  about  $10,550. 

Next  is  food.  Three  simple  meals  are  allowed  per  day. 
Avoiding  the  dull  detail  of  statistics  and  accounts,  let  us  allow 
for  each  child  six  cents  as  the  average  per  day  for  three  meals, 
and  twenty  cents  for  each  employee.  Surely,  no  one  would 
wish  to  curtail  this  already  scanty  allowance.  The  cost  of  food 
for  the  establishment,  at  these  rates,  is  then  $10,950. 


STATEMENT 

Of  Steward  of  Orphan  House  of  the  present   actual  daily  Cost  of  Food 
for  Children  in  September,  1&61. 

BREAKFAST.  DINNER.  SUPPER. 

1  bushel  grist $1  00  Beef,  veal  &  bacon.  .$6  61     Bread $2  91 

2  gallons  molasses..      80  Kice,  110  lbs.,2|c-... .  2  48     Sugar 36 

9  quarts  milk 81     Vegetables 25     Milk 81 

4ilbs.bro.sugarat8c.    36  Salt,pepper&  vin'gar-    31                                             

Bread ' 2  91  Supper $4  08 

Salt 13     Dinner $9  65 

Breakfast $6  01 

Dinner 9  65 

Supper 4  08 

$19  74-H359  children=5£  cents  each. 
Beef,  veal  and  bacon,  for  one  week,  $46  25-^7  days=$6  61  per  day. 

The  subject  of  raiment  alone  remains  for  examination.  Let 
us  here  also  pass  by  book  details  of  articles,  their  cost  and 
number,  and  content  ourselves,  with  a  view  to  brevity,  with 
the  remark,  that  three  and  one  half  suits  per  year  is  neces- 
sary for  each  child,  consisting  of  a  heavy  winter  suit  for  the 
boys,  and  flannel  for  the  girls,  summer  suits  and  under  cloth- 
ing, aprons, ,  shoes,  hats  or  caps,  etc.  An  entire  suit,  inclusive 
of  hat  or  cap  and  shoes,  cannot  be  had  for  less  than  $4  50. 
Three  and  a  half  suits  will  then  average  $15  75  per  year  for 
each  child ;  and  three  hundred  and  sixty  children  will  cost 
§5,654  for  the  same  period.  These  items  expose  fully  to  view 
our  economics,  but  do  not  suggest  to  your  Committee  any 
object  for  retrenchment.  They  enable  them,  however,  with  a 
few  additions,  to  account  for,  and  balance,  the  debit  against  us 
on  the  City  Treasurer's  books,  viz  : 
Paid  for  food  for  three  hundred  and  forty  children, 

at  six  cents  per  day,  and  for  officers  at  twenty 

cents  per  day §10,950  00 

Service  of  all  description,  inclusive  of  physician 10,550  00 

Eaiment  for  three  hundred  and  fifty-nine  children, 

at  three  and  a  half  suits  each,  at  $15  75  per  year,     5,654  25 
Fuel,    §1,450;   gas,   §900;   beds,    etc.,    §700;   school 

books  and  medicines,  $450 3,500  00 

Soap,  starch,  blue  and  soda 700  00 

Repairs,  improvements  and  furniture 1,500  00 

$32,854  25 
The  whole    cost  of  1861,  as  per   City  Treasurer's 

accounts,  is,  however $35,078  18 


9 

The  balance,  about  $2,000,  is  spent  for  accidents,  anniversa- 
ries, books,  burials,  church,  and  crockery,  and  an  interminable 
number  and  variety  of  demands  always  incident  to  so  large  an 
infant  family;  a  sum,  of  course,  scarcely  adequate  to  such  ne- 
cessities. But  the  Board  dispenses  a  portion  of  the  income 
from  a  "Private  Fund,"  which  has  been  left  to  them  in  trust 
for  the  benefit  of  the  children,  and  in  this  way  are  enabled  to 
make  good  all  deficiencies  and  contingencies.  For  instance: 
Council  allows  the  special  sum  of  $1,200  for  educational  pur- 
poses, about  one-half  of  what  is  positively  necessaiy;  the 
balance  being  supplied  from  this  fund.  This,  of  course,  cancels 
so  much  of  the  above  account,  increasing  proportionally  the 
reserve  for  sundries.  It  is  in  this  way  that  accounts  inde- 
pendent of  each  other  become  blended.  It  ought  not  to  be 
overlooked,  however,  that  this  "  Fund"  is  a  bequest  from  the 
honored  dead  to  the  Board  of  Commissioners,  sacred  to  the 
execution  of  the  purposes  which  have  been  mentioned.  It  is 
they,  therefore,  who  supply  whatever  extra  advantages  and 
privileges  are  enjoyed  by  the  children  of  the  Institution.  It 
is  they  who,  without  stint  or  limit,  sustain  our  admirable 
Sunday  School.  It  is  they  who  provide  a  master  to  teach 
them  to  sing  so  sweetly,  and  give  us  our  instrumental  music 
on  the  holy  Sabbath.  It  is  they  who  supply  the  exigencies 
of  those  who  are  sent  to  College,  or  who  study  for  the  minis- 
try. It  is  also  they  who  provide  premiums  for  the  diligent  and 
faithful.  It  is  they  who,  in  like  manner,  tenderly  furnish  a 
little  marriage  portion  to  our  meritorious  girls,  and  a  timely 
help  to  our  boys  at  their  first  steps  into  life.  It  is  they  who 
furnish  encouragement  and  recreation  to  our  well;  change  and 
delicacies  to  our  ill;  and  a  grave  to  our  dead.  Peace  be  to 
their  ashes!  all  honor  to  their  memories ! 

But  let  us  return,  and  take  a  comparative  view  of  our  main 
subject.  Unfortunately,  the  records  of  this  Institution  do  not 
enable  us  to  run  a  parallel  of  statistics  for  any  extent;  but 
from  the  glimpses  which  we  can  obtain  of  those  of  the  "  Old 
House"  and  its  management,  we  do  derive  some  comfort  and 
consolation  in  view  of  what  has  been  accomplished.  It  thus 
appears  that  the  entire  cost  of  a  child  in  1852  and  1853,  the 
last  years  of  the  "  Old  House"  and  its  regime,  was  respectively 
$126  63  and  $124  17,  while  the  entire  cost  of  a  child  in  1860 
and  1861,  under  the  reformed  condition  of  the  new,  is  respec- 


10 

tively  $106  22  and  $101  97;  showing  a  difference  in  favor  of 
the  latter  of  $20  and  $22  20  per  child,  notwithstanding  the 
inflated  war  prices  which  are  attached  in  these  latter  years  to 
articles  of  common  consumption.  These,  if  multiplied  by  the 
number  of  children  in  the  house,  are  equal  to  a  very  respecta- 
ble interest  on  the  investment  for  improvement;  by  calculation 
being  over  five  and  a  half  per  cent. 

But  the  records  of  the  School  having  been  better  preserved, 
enable  us  to  present  a  more  detailed  comparison  of  the  opera- 
tions of  this  department,  at  the  two  above  periods,  with  their 
expenditures  (not  results);  the  developments  of  which  are  both 
instructive  and  valuable.  We  place  the  items  in  tabular  lines 
to  facilitate  comparison  : 

Old  House  in  1854. 

Children  in  the  House 188 

In  the  School 150 

Not  in  School 38 

Per  cent,  not  in  School 20 

ABC  Class 61 

Per  cent,  of  the  ABC  Class 40 

Cost  of  Books $306 

Cost  of  Books  for  each  pupil $2  04 

Amount  of  Salaries $3,300 

Cost  qf  Tuition,  each $22 

Entire  cost  of  each  Scholar $24 

Entire  cost  of  School.. $3,606 

]STew  House  in  1861. 

Children  in  the  House 356 

In  the  School 330 

Not  in  School 26 

Per  cent,  not  in  School 7i 

ABC  Class 10 

Per  cent,  of  the  ABC  Class 3 

Cost  of  Books $162 

Cost  of  Books  for  each  pupil $50 

Amount  of  Salaries $1,992  50 

Cost  of  Tuition,  each $6 

Entire  cost  of  each  Scholar $6  50 

Entire  cost  of  School $2,154 

Saving  of  New  School $1,452 

Pro  rata  difference  this  year $5,766 


11 

It  thus  appears  that  the  scholars  have  increased  two  and 
a  fifth  times;  that  the  School  is  much  more  faithful  in  gather- 
ing' in  the  children,  inasmuch  as  a  much  greater  proportion 
are  numbered  therein  now  than  formerly;  that  three  per  cent, 
of  the  ABC  class,  against  forty  per  cent.,  evinces  the  greater 
rapidity  with  which  they  are  advanced  through  the  elements; 
that  the  cost  of  books  is  three  hundred  per  cent,  less  than  for- 
merly; that  the  salaries  and  other  costs  are  forty  per  cent, 
less,  though  the  number  of  pupils  is  twice  and  a  fifth  greater; 
that  the  actual  saving  is  nearly  equal  to  the  present  sala- 
ries; that  the  former  cost  of  tuition  and  books  for  each  child, 
of  twenty-four  dollars,  is  reduced  by  the  new  system  to  six 
and  a  half,  making  a  difference  in  favor  of  the  new,  which, 
multiplied  by  the  number  of  children  now  taught,  would  be 
equivalent  to  four  per  cent,  on  the  entire  outlay  for  improve- 
ments; or  which,  had  it  been  productively  invested  from  the 
inauguration  of  the  new  system  until  now,  would  have  been 
more  than  sufficient  to  support  the  School  permanently.  But 
this  is  not  all;  could  the  moral,  educational  and  physical  supe- 
riority be  similarly  contrasted,  it  would  exhibit  differences 
beyond  comparison.  The  results,  however,  are  sufficiently 
apparent.  It  has  immeasurably  elevated  the  Institution  in  the 
pride  and  affections  of  the  people,  arid  caused  the  stranger  to 
honor  the  city  itself,  on  account  of  this  striking  expression  of 
its  nobleness.  But,  alas!  its  very  excellencies  have  awakened 
the  jealousies  of  some  who  are  unacquainted  with  its  econo- 
mics. No  complaint  of  extravagance,  however,  has  ever  been 
heard  from  those  who  are  familiar  with  its  merits. 

The  present  views  of  the  working  and  management  of  this 
noble  Institution,  it  is  to  be  hoped  will  not  fail  to  impress 
all  with  the  conviction  that  this  Board  has  been  not  only 
anxious  and  sedulous  in  its  efforts  to  secure  the  welfare  of  the 
children  and  the  public  interest,  but  has  wisely  and  success- 
fully accomplished  it.  That  they  have  at  least  imparted  vigor, 
faithfulness  and  economy  to  every  one  of  its  departments,  is 
apparent,  they  think,  in  the  fact,  that  now,  in  the  day  of 
trouble  and  reckoning,  when  called  upon  to  contribute  to  pub- 
lic economy,  they  have  no  retrenchment  to  suggest.  They 
have  thus  gone  minutely  through  our  whole  role  of  service,  and 
shown  it  everywhere  accomplishing  more  than  could  have  been 
expected,  or  exacted  by  any  ordinance  or  contract.     For  where 


12 

else  is  there  to  be  found  a  School  that  will  teach  successfully 
and  satisfactorily,  and  furnish  also  books,  for  one  dollar  and 
sixty-two  and  a  half  cents  per  quarter?  Where  else  do  infant 
children  make  seven-eighths  of  the  family  clothing  after  school 
hours  while  learning  to  sew  ?  Where  else  will  a  nurse  take 
entire  charge  of  forty  children,  and  do  as  much,  as  well,  and 
indeed  everything  for  them  ?  Where  else  will  one  hand  wash 
and  iron,  and  properly  assort  and  deliver  eight  dozen  pieces  per 
day  upon  an  average  ?  Where  else  will  one  cook,  properly  and 
punctually,  prepare  the  food  for  three  hundred  and  sixty  per- 
sons? It  is  vain  to  look  here  then  for  supernumeraries  or  re- 
trenchments. 

Turn  we  then  to  our  regimen.  We  accordingly  find  for 
breakfast  a  plate  of  hominy,  a  drop  of  molasses,  and  a  cup  of 
milk — and  water  tea,  costing  say,  two  cents ;  for  dinner,  soup 
meager  and  rice,  meat,  rice  and  peas  at  a  cost  of  two  and  a 
half  cents;  and  for  supper  a  slice  of  bread  and  a  cup  of  milk 
and  water  tea,  costing  a  cent  and  a  half.  Neither  of  these 
can  be  reduced  without  superinducing  hunger. 

A.  like  economy  is  enforced  with  respect  to  the  clothing. 
The  cloth  is  carefully  selected  by  judges,  bought  advantage- 
ously at  wholesale,  well  made  up,  well  cared  for,  and  well 
worn.  Children  are  proverbially  hard  upon  their  clothes : 
but  play  is  a  part  of  their  health,  as  indulgence  is  of  their  dis- 
cipline. To  reduce  the  quality,  therefore,  we  must  either  in- 
crease the  quantity,  or  otherwise  incur  exposure.  They  seldom 
wear  shoes  except  for  dress  or  during  cold  weather. 

After  a  most  careful  survey  of  the  whole  field,  the  Commit- 
tee have,  they  regret  to  say,  failed  to  find  the  object  of  their 
pursuit.  It  would,  nevertheless,  have  afforded  them  a  sincere 
pleasure  to  have  been  able  to  contribute  somewhat  at  this  try- 
ing moment  to  the  public  relief;  but  truly,  the  orphans  have 
nothing  to  contribute.  Nor  is  the  Board  more  fortunate;  for 
they  enjoy  no  privileges  or  indulgences  at  the  City  cost, 
but  on  the  contrary,  often  furnish  encouragements  to  the  chil- 
dren from  their  own  means,  and  instead  of  enjoying  a  yearly 
dinner  at  the  public  expense,  as  is  usual  and  proper,  have  inva- 
riably given  one  to  the  friends  of  the  Institution  on  its  anni- 
versary. 

With  a  familiar  knowledge  of  all  the  facts  which  have  been 
elicited  by  the  communication  from  Council,  the  Committee 


13 

are  at  a  loss  to  account  for  the  existence  of  the  idea  enter- 
tained by  some,  of  the  extravagant  administration  of  the 
moneys  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Commissioners  by  the 
City,  unless  it  be  the  manifestation  of  order  and  cleanliness 
which  habitually  obtain  throughout  the  house,  or  the  aspect 
of  taste  which  is  ever  present  where  the  ideal  that  sustain 
it  is  not  absent  from  the  mind  of  its  supporter.  These  cost 
nothing,  however,  in  a  material  point  of  view.  They  belong 
to  another  element,  and  it  would  be  uncivilized  to  bar  the  doors 
against  them. 

But  although  unable  to  retrench,  we  may  suggest  to  you  two 
considerations  for  effecting  the  purposes  of  Council.  The  first 
is  to  limit  our  admissions  to  a  severer  necessity  than  has  been 
hitherto  conditioned;  the  second,  as  the  period  comes  round 
for  binding  out,  to  apprentice  the  children  as  fast  as  justice  to 
them  will  permit,  to  the  industrial  engagements  of  life. 

In  conclusion,  your  Committee  are  forced  to  the  conviction — 
a  conviction  confirmed  by  increased  intimacy  with  the  working 
of  the  Institution,  that  there  exists  nowhere,  one  more  excel- 
lent in  its  conception,  or  which  is  more  faithfully  administered 
in  every  respect.  In  confirmation  of  this  they  confidently  refer 
to  the  amount  of  actual  misery  daily  relieved;  the  character 
and  extent  of  that  relief;  the  wide  scope  of  its  charity;  the 
present  importance  and  ever-extending  influence  of  the  results 
achieved;  and  the  intelligence  and  spirit  with  which  it  has  been 
conducted. 

In  this  connection  it  is  encouraging  to  allude  to  the  number 
who,  since  they  have  left  us,  have,  in  the  last  few  years,  been 
seeking  to  become  physicians,  apothecaries,  surveyors,  mer- 
chants, factors,  printers,  engineers,  plasterers,  carpenters,  bak- 
ers, shoe  makers,  harness  makers,  as  well  as  votaries  of  all  the 
mechanical  or  other  employments ;  to  those  also  who  have 
gone  into  the  pursuits  of  the  country,  or  army  or  navy;  as 
well  as  to  the  girls  who  have  given  us  like  cause  for  gratula- 
tion. 

Scarcely  a  day,  Sunday  not  excepted,  but  one  or  more  of. 
the  members  of  this  Board  are  in  attendance  upon  the  Institu- 
tion, notwithstanding  its  general  charge  is  committed  to  one 
in  weekly  rotation,  and  its  leading  interests  are  besides  speci- 
ally confided  to  zealous  committees.  It  may  be  true,  never- 
theless, as  sometimes  asserted,  that  in  the  admission  of  chil- 


14 

dren  by  the  Board,  they  have  been  sometimes  imposed  upon. 
But  this  can  only  happen  by  violating  the  sanctity  of  an  oath, 
and  deliberately  and  wickedly  deceiving  others  than  those  that 
compose  the  Board.  Such  cases,  however,  are  few,  while  they 
bring  with  them  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  little  children 
have,  not  the  less,  been  rescued  from  the  domestic  influences  of 
such  parents.     We  may  err,  but  it  is  upon  the  side  of  charity. 

The  Committee  feel  bound  also  to  say,  that  the  officers  of 
the  Institution  are  all  apparently  actuated  by  a  similar  devo- 
tion; and  merit,  as  they  do  receive,  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  the  Board. 

They  would  further  suggest,  in  view  of  all  that  has  occurred 
and  is  occurring,  the  propriety  of  inviting  and  urging  upon 
Council  the  propriety  of  visiting  the  Institution,  collectively 
and  individually,  morning,  noon  and  night,  as  may  suit  their 
convenience;  of  inspecting  the  Institution  generally;  of  ex- 
amining our  books ;  making  themselves  personally  familiar 
with  our  routine  and  economics ;  and  thus,  from  actual  knowl- 
edge, appreciate  our  labors,  sympathise  with  our  efforts,  and 
rejoice  with  us  in  our  benevolent  achievements. 
Eespectfully  submitted, 

JAS.  MOULTEIE,  Chairman. 
BENJAMIN"  HUGER,  M.  D. 
W.  H.  HOUSTON. 


RARE  BOOK 
COLLECTION 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

AT 

CHAPEL  HILL 

2135.1 
Conf . 


J 


